Back to The Square for a leisurely Saturday lunch...
Amuse-bouche: game consommé topped with chestnut foam and a pancetta wafer.
A very nice way to start the meal considering the horrible weather outside. It was one of those days when it wouldn't hurt to have some warm soup. The dark-coloured consommé (hidden from view) was extremely comforting and rich in flavour, and kick-started the tastebuds very effectively. This was well complemented by an equally lush chestnut foam (almost more mousse-like than foamy in texture) that was sweet with a earthy and smoky edge. To finish, a feather-light and buttery pastry strip with embedded pancetta bits added a crisp bite and a further savoury depth. All in all, a perfect combination of luxurious wintry flavours.
Starter: ravioli of confit red mullet and langoustine claws with new season's sea kale, jellied orange balls and bouillabaisse dressing.
This was a wonderful taster of the sea with delightfully fresh flavours throughout. The contents of the jam-packed ravioli were extremely sweet, with a firm and succulent bite. The delicate nature of the seafood was enhanced by light and crunchy stalks of sea kale, while juicy orange jellied balls highlighted both their freshness and sweetness with a mild acidity. A further touch of flavour was imparted to this refined dish by a very rich and tasty bouillabaisse (Mediterranean fish stock) dressing. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Main course: fillet of sea bass with creamed potato, new season's olive oil and anchovy butter.
This was probably the most awesome slice of fish that I've had in quite a while. This restaurant's kitchen is always spot-on when it comes to handling fish, and this dish was no exception. Despite being very thickly cut, the flesh was incredibly tender and juicy throughout. This was coupled equally amazingly with the crispiest layer of skin that one could imagine, for a pleasant charred flavour that went very well with the mild-tasting flesh. I couldn't even begin to understand what cooking techniques could produce such wondrous results. Every mouthful was a joy; the fish was so good that I almost couldn't bear to finish it. The accompaniments were no less stellar: a lashing of (melted) anchovy butter with crispy deep fried bits of anchovy scattered nicely across the skin, caramelised onions, and large juicy knobs of mussels provided extraordinary aromas, flavours and textures; the creamed potato was astonishingly smooth and light, and enhanced in both taste and texture by a surrounding ring of fruity olive oil. This dish was both luxurious and wholesome; although there was nothing really fancy about its conception or presentation, the choice of ingredients and their execution were sheer perfection.
Exceptionally, I requested to have both dessert options today for a small supplement, as they both sounded good to me.
Dessert 1: warm poached pineapple with black cardamom ice cream, cardamom foam and spiced granola.
After the remarkable courses that I had just experienced, this felt somewhat underwhelming. First, the positives: there was a pleasant hint of sweet-smelling spice throughout, and the contrast in temperatures between the ice cream and the pineapple was a lovely idea. However, I had my reservations about the odd taste of the pineapple - a deep savoury flavour very similar to mature cheese; I wondered if my tastebuds had been influenced by the black cardamom which has a distinctly smoky aroma, and if so this fruit pairing was probably not the best idea. The presentation of this dessert was also uninspired; there was hardly anything to suggest that this couldn't have been put together in any home kitchen, with products that are readily found in supermarkets. This was actually the extra course that I ordered, and I must say I didn't get lucky with this one.
Dessert 2: millefeuille with roast pear, praline cream, caramel, burnt toffee syrup and vanilla ice cream.
Shortly before this dessert arrived, the manager Cesar came out from the back of the restaurant (which was a surprise because I had been told that weekends are usually his off-days) and we exchanged a few pleasantries; it's always nice to see a familiar face.
My server (I forget his name but he's the Italian guy with an unusually French accent) had hinted that I would like this better, and I could totally see why! A huge contrast to the previous dessert, this was unabashedly indulgent. Within two puff pastry layers sat large juicy chunks of roast pear atop a thick bed of praline cream. The result was an incredibly rich dessert sandwich that could have been too cloying for some people, but I love the taste of hazelnut anyway, and the roasting gave the pear slices a really deep caramelised flavour that went perfectly with the luxurious cream, so I certainly wasn't going to complain! Even the puff pastry layers were excellent - buttery and flaky within, with an unusually sweet and charred (but still pleasant) hard crust (probably glazed with toffee sauce before baking). To accompany the millefeuille, a lovely scoop of vanilla ice cream sat atop lashings of toffee sauce and a sprinkling of hazelnut crumble. This was very good too, but somewhat overshadowed by the brilliant focus of this dessert. By the time I finished, I was really satiated and on a sugar high!
The usual nougat petit fours ended another great meal at this restaurant.
One note about service on this occasion: the front counter staff seemed over eager to give me the bill when I did not call for it, which left a slightly unpleasant aftertaste. The first time this happened was between the two desserts, and my server apologised promptly saying that he had mixed up the table numbers. That didn't bother me at all because genuine mistakes like these do happen. However, the bill was presented for the second time - again unsolicited - almost immediately after my last dessert was finished, and even before petit fours had been served. As I had started late and was one of two or three tables left for the sitting, I couldn't help but feel that they were trying to clear us out as quickly as possible - not very nice indeed - but being a regular customer and knowing that they are usually capable of better service, I was prepared to overlook this instance, and simply paid up (it was getting late anyway), finished the final pieces of nougat, and left. I hope this remains an isolated incident, for it could undo an otherwise excellent dining experience for any customer.
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